Money in Indonesia: Cash, Cards, ATMs, QRIS and the Bali Levy

Cash or card in Indonesia: which should you use?

Carry both. Cards work well at hotels, large restaurants and big stores, but small warungs, market stalls and many local drivers are more likely to want cash or QRIS. Use a fee-free card for larger bills, keep a float of small rupiah notes, and always pay in rupiah rather than your home currency.

Indonesia’s official tourism site says credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, large restaurants and large stores, and that by law transactions in Indonesia are conducted in rupiah (Indonesia Travel: currency). Outside those settings, plan on cash or a QR payment. Bank Indonesia’s QRIS standard lets one printed code accept many Indonesian banking and e-wallet apps, which is why you see QR stickers at small stalls as well as in shopping centres.

The practical split for most visitors is simple: card for accommodation, larger restaurant bills and shopping-centre purchases; cash or QRIS for street food, small shops and stalls; and an app for rides. Card fraud is a real risk, and the FCDO’s Indonesia safety advice tells travellers not to lose sight of their card during a payment.

Keep two cards on different networks, stored separately, so one declined or blocked card does not leave you stuck. A card without foreign transaction fees saves the most on everyday spending; our travel money guide explains the card types.

What rupiah notes and coins will you use in Indonesia?

Bank Indonesia issues seven paper notes, from Rp1,000 to Rp100,000, with a 2022 series circulating alongside older designs. Current coins are Rp100, Rp200, Rp500 and Rp1,000. Older notes and coins stay legal tender unless Bank Indonesia withdraws them, so two different-looking notes can carry the same value.

Bank Indonesia and the government launched the 2022-series paper notes in seven denominations: Rp1,000, Rp2,000, Rp5,000, Rp10,000, Rp20,000, Rp50,000 and Rp100,000. The bank said previously issued notes and coins remain legal tender unless it revokes and withdraws them. The current coin series, launched in December 2016, has Rp100, Rp200, Rp500 and Rp1,000 coins.

Large numbers are easy to misread at first. You may see prices written as 45K or simply 45 for Rp45,000; ask if you are unsure. Count notes at the counter, keep large notes apart from small ones and break a Rp100,000 note in a supermarket or bigger shop when you can. Indonesia’s tourism site notes that ATMs dispense either Rp50,000 or Rp100,000 notes, as shown on the machine, and that bigger notes can be harder to split in rural areas.

How do ATM fees and withdrawal limits work in Indonesia?

There is no single Indonesian ATM fee or limit. Your home bank sets foreign-use charges and daily caps, and the Indonesian bank operating the machine may add its own charge and per-transaction maximum. Check your bank’s app before travelling, read the ATM screen before confirming, and decline any offer to convert into your home currency.

Indonesia’s tourism site says ATMs on the international Plus/Cirrus networks are common in major cities and tourist destinations, and that withdrawal limits depend on your home bank. We do not publish a typical fee or cap because they differ by card, account and machine. Instead, check three things: your bank’s foreign transaction and cash-withdrawal fees, your daily withdrawal limit in its app, and any operator charge shown on the ATM screen before you accept.

Fewer, larger withdrawals usually reduce fixed per-withdrawal fees, but they also mean carrying more cash. Balance the two: withdraw enough for a few days, store it in more than one place and use your card where it is accepted. The tourism site also advises drawing cash in a major town before heading to more secluded destinations.

• Make sure your card controls allow overseas ATM use, and tell your bank you are travelling if it asks.
• Carry two cards on different networks if you can, kept in different places.
• If the screen offers a rate in your home currency, choose to be charged in rupiah. Our dynamic currency conversion guide explains why.

How do you avoid ATM skimming and card fraud in Bali?

Use ATMs inside bank branches, shopping centres or hotels, cover the keypad, and never call a phone number stuck on a machine. Keep your card in sight when paying, turn on instant transaction alerts and know how to freeze the card in your banking app. Report anything odd to your bank immediately.

The FCDO’s Indonesia safety page warns that credit card fraud is common, and that criminals sometimes put a fake telephone number on ATMs so that people who call to report a problem hand over their card details. If a machine keeps your card, use the number on the back of your own card or your banking app, not a sticker or a helpful stranger.

Choose machines in staffed, well-lit places, ideally attached to a bank branch during opening hours, so a retained card can be dealt with on the spot. Look for loose parts or anything fitted over the card slot, shield the keypad with your hand and walk away if someone stands too close. These precautions reduce the risk rather than remove it; alerts and a card you can freeze in seconds limit the damage if something does go wrong.

Should you pay in rupiah or your home currency?

Pay in rupiah. When a card terminal, hotel or ATM offers to charge you in pounds, dollars or euros, that is dynamic currency conversion, and the rate usually costs more than your card network’s. Choose rupiah on the screen, check the currency on the receipt, and ask for the payment to be rerun if staff choose for you.

Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) can appear at hotels, shops and ATMs, and the prompt is designed to look helpful: you see a familiar currency and a fixed total. The conversion is set by the terminal’s provider, not your bank. Our dynamic currency conversion guide explains the costs and what to press.

The same applies to online bookings priced in rupiah. If a hotel or tour site offers to bill you in your home currency, compare its total with the rupiah price converted at your card’s rate before accepting. A card without foreign transaction fees, used in rupiah, is usually the simplest low-cost option.

Can tourists pay with QRIS in Indonesia?

Sometimes. Visitors from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and China can scan QRIS codes with participating home banking or wallet apps. Most other visitors, including those from the UK, US and Australia, cannot use their home apps yet, so QRIS means setting up an Indonesian e-wallet, which usually needs an Indonesian phone number.

Bank Indonesia runs QRIS Cross-Border, which links Indonesia’s QR standard with other countries’ payment systems. Antara reported on 16 September 2026 that the link was active with six countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and China, with Saudi Arabia, India, Vietnam and Australia among the countries Bank Indonesia is exploring. Kompas reported on 27 September 2026 that about 60% of Indonesia’s 2025 foreign visits came from countries outside QRIS cross-border coverage.

If your country is not connected, the route to QRIS is an Indonesian wallet. Gojek’s help pages say foreigners can upgrade to GoPay Plus with a passport, but Gojek recommends an Indonesian or Singapore number when you register, and GoPay top-ups come from linked Indonesian bank accounts, debit cards or cash at minimarkets. Grab says its OVO wallet cannot be activated with a foreign phone number. For a short holiday, card plus cash is usually simpler.

Bank Indonesia launched a digital Indonesia Travel Pack in September 2026, reached by QR code, to help visitors plan, pay and stay connected; Kompas says it is aimed partly at travellers from countries outside QRIS coverage. Treat it as a guide to payment options rather than a wallet in itself.

How do you find an authorised money changer in Indonesia?

Use a bank or a licensed money changer showing Bank Indonesia’s licensed-changer logo with a QR code, its business licence and the words Authorized Money Changer. Avoid street booths offering unusually good rates. Count the rupiah at the counter before walking away, count again if staff handle the notes, and keep the receipt.

Bank Indonesia licenses non-bank money changers, known as KUPVA BB, and requires them to display its licensed-changer logo, their Bank Indonesia licence certificate and the words “Authorized Money Changer” where customers can see them (Bank Indonesia guidance). The logo has changed over the years: older signs read PVA Berizin, while the design Bank Indonesia described in 2019 reads KUPVA Berizin and carries an ID number and a QR code. The FCDO likewise tells travellers to use licensed exchanges identified by a Bank Indonesia logo and a QR code, and warns that unlicensed changers may short-change you.

Bali’s governor made the same point in Circular Letter 7 of 2025, telling visitors to exchange money only at licensed services with official Bank Indonesia QR codes. A licensed changer will usually ask to see your passport and should give you a receipt.

Airport and hotel exchange desks are convenient for a small first amount, but compare how much rupiah you receive for the same sum elsewhere before changing more. Withdrawing from an ATM with a low-fee card is often the simpler alternative.

How much cash should you carry in Bali?

Carry enough rupiah for a day or two of small purchases, not your whole trip. Pay larger bills by card, top up from ATMs in towns, and carry more before remote areas where machines and card terminals are scarce. Split cash between your wallet and a secure place, and keep a separate emergency card.

We do not give a single cash figure, because the right amount depends on where you stay and how you travel. A resort stay paid by card needs far less cash than a week of warungs, local markets and small guesthouses. Estimate what you will pay in cash on a typical day, carry about that much plus a buffer, and replenish as you go.

Bali’s main tourist areas have plenty of ATMs, but Indonesia’s tourism site advises drawing cash in a major town before travelling somewhere more secluded, where machines are fewer and bigger notes can be hard to break. Smaller islands and rural stays deserve a little extra cash.

Very large sums carry other rules. Indonesia requires anyone bringing cash or other payment instruments worth Rp100 million or more into or out of the country to declare them to customs (Cabinet Secretariat). Our guide to travelling with cash covers declarations more broadly.

How do you pay the Bali tourist levy?

Pay the Rp150,000 levy once per trip on the official Love Bali website or app, ideally before you fly, or at counters at Bali’s airport and port. Payment is cashless: card, bank transfer, virtual account or QRIS. Keep the emailed voucher, because attractions may refuse entry to visitors who have not paid.

The Love Bali FAQ sets the levy at Rp150,000 per person for international tourists, payable once while travelling in Bali and before leaving Indonesia. It lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards, bank transfer, virtual account, UnionPay and QRIS. The voucher is emailed, so enter an address you can open on arrival. The levy is separate from your visa or visa on arrival; see our Indonesia visa on arrival guide for entry rules.

The FAQ exempts several groups, including holders of diplomatic or official visas, transport crew, holders of KITAS or KITAP stay-permit cards, and holders of family-unification, student and golden visas; golden-visa and some other visa holders must apply for the exemption through the Love Bali system. Bali’s governor said in March 2025 that tourists who fail to pay will be denied access to attractions.

Use only the official Love Bali website or the app it links to. Do not pay through a link in an unsolicited message or to someone in the street. The FCDO gives similar advice about the free All Indonesia arrival card: avoid alternative websites that ask for payment.